Database Develop

[APP] Easy Timer -[R]- 24/02/2011 -[U]- 11/09/2011 -[V]- v1.4 [Mango]

Name: Timer
I'm making this Timer app for windows phone 7. I searched for some timer apps on the marketplace (http://www.appsfuze.com/), I still don't own a wp7 device, working on that . I saw a few apps, but they all don't match the design of wp7 theme, and not all have the functionality of stopwatch or countdown.
So I decided to make an app myself, that matches the metro-design and also matches the theme you're using (light or dark). It has two modes: stopwatch and countdown. It'll be a free app because I'm a student and don't really do Windows Phone programming, it's just what I do in my free time
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y05BhoMqSss (light theme switch is at the second half of the video)
Some pics: see the attachments
Now I have some questions: what do YOU want to see in a timer app, what functionality can I add to my app? I don't have a wp7 device so I want to know some differences with the emulator (like locking and unlocking the device, you can't emulate that)
UPDATE:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program is live here: http://social.zune.net/redirect?type=phoneApp&id=4a4bbd3b-4f23-e011-854c-00237de2db9e
There are no push notifications because of the complexity of the system (at least for me). Any requests and ideas are welcome! (landscape support is coming in the next version and maybe thombstoning handling)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE V1.1:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program is live here: http://social.zune.net/redirect?type=phoneApp&id=4a4bbd3b-4f23-e011-854c-00237de2db9e
Ok this version can be run under lockscreen! (don't forget to activate that feature in settings).
Next update I will add the last countdown memory as requested and the ability to try to resume the timers if the program was stopped and reopened.
Greetings and thx for support
Edit: added the .xap package because the marketplace version is still 1.0...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE V1.2:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program is live here: http://social.zune.net/redirect?type=phoneApp&id=4a4bbd3b-4f23-e011-854c-00237de2db9e
Most people were probably waiting for this: the timers are now resumed when you close and open the app again! Now you can finally check your mail or send an sms and come back to your timer later.
The timer-start variables are stored, at the launch they are restored. Of course, the alarm CAN'T go off while the app is closed! (WP7 doesn't have multitasking).
Lap times are now calculated correctly. In the older versions you had this bug: you can't receive an sms while a timer was running, now it's solved.
The next versions will add some more usability and requested features (like the memory function, or pause and reset timer buttons) and new ideas are welcome!
I don't know if the latest version is distributed worldwide (I can see 2 versions in my app hub: English and EnglishNorthAmerica) If anyone outside USA can confirm that they are able to update (or fresh install) to 1.2, that will be nice.
I added a .xap for all other people without marketplace, in the attachment.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE V1.3:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program is live here: http://social.zune.net/redirect?type=phoneApp&id=4a4bbd3b-4f23-e011-854c-00237de2db9e
Not a big update, but some people requested it:
- You can now "export" stopwatch data. You just send an email to yourself so you can use that data later.
- There's a memory function for countdown. The last timer set is now remembered.
.xap file for people without marketplace is in the attachment
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE V1.4 Mango features preview:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was typing extended info on the new features here when I accidentally closed the window. So just look at the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCspKWwS8S4
I will release this app soon (1-2 weeks from now) I hope I can still submit to marketplace, my student account is almost 1 year old
The app will still be free.
Oh, just saw some comments more on this! Thanks for the support. I will redesign UI a bit before the release, so it'll use the default time picker.
Other feature requests are not forgotten! Just stay tuned, I'm programming this in my free time
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE V1.4 (Mango):
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alright, the app is now on the marketplace! You can update/download it there. The new .xap is also in the attachment for those who still can't use marketplace (HD2)
Blogpost: http://alexju.be/blog/?p=251
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grtz, Ioulian Alexeev
http://alexju.be/blog/?p=86

The only thing i can think of would be to have it play a sound and vibrate once the countdown is complete. That way you could use it for cooking and stuff

Audio said:
The only thing i can think of would be to have it play a sound and vibrate once the countdown is complete. That way you could use it for cooking and stuff
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, it's already there ^^ (vibration needs to be tested cause the emulator wont emulate the vibration either)

simple , clean , real good looking good work .
hope to see it soon , I am getting this app for sure .

Looks great!
Hope can be released soon

very much interested in this. Will be even better when wp7 will let it run in the background.

nrfitchett4 said:
very much interested in this. Will be even better when wp7 will let it run in the background.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, I had the idea to make the countdown timer visible as a live tile, maybe I'll add this functionality in the future versions still very newb with wp7 development

ioulian said:
yes, I had the idea to make the countdown timer visible as a live tile, maybe I'll add this functionality in the future versions still very newb with wp7 development
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it is possible to run timers in the background, by calculating the time between the app was closed and it was reopened. So it's not technically running in the background but is able to update the timer when you return to the program. Unfortauntely though it would not let you signal an alert or anything unless the app is actually open.
The alternative would be to have a webserver for the app; when you set a timer, eg 30 minutes, the app will register this with the webserver. Whether or not you are still in the app, the webserver can send the alert to your phone as a traditional toast notification (via MS servers as usual).
Here's a suggestion; perhaps you could develop this app as freeware, but make it a euro or two for this live tile / toast notification functionality? As it stands, it looks way more metro than the other timers I've tried so far. I need a timer for cooking!

wheresmybeaver said:
I believe it is possible to run timers in the background, by calculating the time between the app was closed and it was reopened. So it's not technically running in the background but is able to update the timer when you return to the program. Unfortauntely though it would not let you signal an alert or anything unless the app is actually open.
The alternative would be to have a webserver for the app; when you set a timer, eg 30 minutes, the app will register this with the webserver. Whether or not you are still in the app, the webserver can send the alert to your phone as a traditional toast notification (via MS servers as usual).
Here's a suggestion; perhaps you could develop this app as freeware, but make it a euro or two for this live tile / toast notification functionality? As it stands, it looks way more metro than the other timers I've tried so far. I need a timer for cooking!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good idea, I'll look into that!
EDIT: I searched for some more info on toast notifications, but there's one thing that's bugging me.
So I can send and notification and the phone receives it, but if there are more than one app running, then a person might receive a notification that is from another user... Toest notifications are perfect if there's one message for all the users? or does it only send notifications to the phone that has requested that?

I've been searching for a free Timer App (there a already a number of free Stopwatch app) ever since I got my HD7. This is really very timely.
Whatever you have is already good enough as a launch product!
Suggestions:
1. As suggested earlier, to be able to ran even when WP7 is off (i.e. screen is off). Even better, if WP7 is running other app.
2. Have a different font color for the title of the app (probably build into the theme color change or just a separate settings option)
3. Ability to change the Alarm sound.
4. When Stopwatch or Timer is running, to blow up the font size of the running digits to cover the screen size (good feature) and have the fonts in different color (option)
I'm looking forward to your app and if you need someone to help you to test, I'm definitely willing but from what I know, I have to unlock my HD7 before I can do any software testing.
Thanks in advance for coming up with the app.
May I suggest a few names for the app?
1. Free Timer
2. StopW n Timer
3. Timer n StopW
4. Tmr n StopW
5. StopW n Tmr

This...looks...AMAZING!

It is possible to add option for reset en restart automaticly the couldown ?

This application is released on marketplace! Check the first post for more info!

I've tried the application from the marketplace today and while I really like it, there are still two plotstoppers for me:
Like:
- Nice, elegant design
- Fast transitions between stopwatch/timer
Dislike:
- The last set timer isn't saved. If I use the timer for my 5:40 boiled-egg every morning I have to set the timer everytime anew. Would be good to have a "reset to last set time"-option that is saved when exiting the application.
- The application really needs to prevent the phone from going entering standby-mode. As long as the timer or the stopwatch is running the phone and the display should stay switched on.
Maybe you could considering implementing my suggestions.
Thank you for your app anyway

skycamefalling said:
- The last set timer isn't saved. If I use the timer for my 5:40 boiled-egg every morning I have to set the timer everytime anew. Would be good to have a "reset to last set time"-option that is saved when exiting the application.
- The application really needs to prevent the phone from going entering standby-mode. As long as the timer or the stopwatch is running the phone and the display should stay switched on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the tombstoning is a big issue. The next update will have a better support for this feature. I hope I can prevent the screen for turning off.
Thanks

ioulian said:
I hope I can prevent the screen for turning off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure...you grow with your tasks, you know

Hello again
I saw your video on youtube.. im the one that posted those comments. here if you want me to help you with the design end please let me know. i have some ideas design and i can show then to you... email me at [email protected]
i really wanna help.

Great app!! Very simple (=positive!) and works great. However...could you please make a version without background? That would make it even more cleaner (=again positive! ) and more 'metro-ish'.
Keep up your great work!

JHoogstede said:
Great app!! Very simple (=positive!) and works great. However...could you please make a version without background? That would make it even more cleaner (=again positive! ) and more 'metro-ish'.
Keep up your great work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I will add this functionality, I just submitted new version (with possibility to run behind the lockscreen). Once this is approved I will do the next update.

The only thing i can think of would be to have it play a sound and vibrate once the countdown is complete.

Must have Apps/Tools

Hey, Just picked mine up today, been holding off on the Inspire cause I was waiting for the "holiday."
New to android, from WM 6.5.
Just wondering what are must have Apps?
I noticed some people have battery percentage % numbers in the upper left corner, like the battery clock app for WM, anyone know if that's an App, if so what it is?
Thanks

This'll get you started
Adfree
AirPush Detector
Alarm Clock Plus
Android System Info
Appbrain App Market
ArchiDroid (unzips and extracts file formats)
BetterBatteryStats (provides information on wakelocks)
Calendar in Status Bar (provides day of the week and date)
Call Confirm (requires an extra confirmation before calling someone, preventing accidental calls)
Call End Tone (vibrate and/or tone on the end of calls so you'll never hold your ear to the phone if someone inadvertently hangs up.
CPU Spy (gives percentages that your device spends in each CPU frequency and deep sleep)
Desktop Visualizer (provides a lot of customization options through creating custom widgets and icons)
Disk Usage (shows you where memory is being used)
Download All Files
Dropbox (cloud storage)
Elixir (multipurpose)
File Manager
Folder Organizer
Free App of the Day Notifier (for the Amazon Appstore)
Google Voice (visual voicemail)
Home Manager
IntoNow (like Shazam, for TV shows - it's amazing, try it out)
MediaConverter
Miren Browser
Movies (by flixster)
MyAppSharer
Next Alarm (widget that shows the next alarm if one is set)
Opera Mobile
Pandora
Phonalyzr (provides cool stats on who/when you call and text the most)
Poynt
QuickPic (gallery application - I think it's better than any stock gallery)
RealSilent (allows you to mute media volume when your phone goes into silent)
Ringdroid (create custom ringtones)
Root Explorer (file manager for root users)
ScoreMobile (sports scores)
Shazam
Signal Sense (turns airplane mode on if there is no signal, then back on to search for a signal after a defined set of time)
Slk Notifications for Facebook
Smart Keyboard Pro
Smart Taskbar
Status Note
Tasker (does everything lol)
Titanium Backup
TV Listings
Watchdog (task manager)
Where's My Droid Power
Widgetlocker

Awesome!!!
Never Expected a reply so fast!
Thanks!!! (added)

Just curious how old this list is
I'd never heard of Slik Notifications for Facebook and cannot find it in the market.

radi0chik said:
Just curious how old this list is
I'd never heard of Slik Notifications for Facebook and cannot find it in the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not old at all actually. The day I created it, I went through my installed applications and hand picked them. It was called something else and they changed the name only very recently.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.lukekorth.facebookNotifications
Edit: Also just realized there was a typo in my original post. It's fixed now.
Sent from my Galaxy S2

that app never worked fine for me... I use another app called "MB Notifications for FB (Free)" (had a different name before but was suspended by Facebook for a while and had to change name)
market.android.com/details?id=org.mikebannion.fbnotificationsFree
I'm thinking of buying the pro version since the app is quite cool

Just bought a stylus. Was hoping it'd work on the vivid! If so, are there any note taking apps that are really nice? Thanks!

I use evernote with skitch, but there are more 'notebook' style apps out there that I'm only vaguely familiar with. Anyone else have suggestions? Also, which stylus did you get? I was thinking about getting one for use with my nook and vivid.

penguinfishies said:
Just bought a stylus. Was hoping it'd work on the vivid! If so, are there any note taking apps that are really nice? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does stylus work on Vivid ? Can you confirm please ..
Thanks

Any stylus should work, it's a matter of how well it works. without the custom software like the htc flyer and with the big footprint of most stylii, notes seem to take up way too much real estate on my phone, but acceptable on tablet. Personal preference though.

envygreen said:
Any stylus should work, it's a matter of how well it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true. Has to t least be capacitive.

Oh. I sorta took the capacitive to be a given. Probably shouldn't have though...
There was one I liked but I can't think of the name right now. Will post it when it comes to me though. Acase seems decent but they all look like bit of a rip off to me. Could just buy capacitive foam, wire, and make your own. Tons of videos out there on how-to.

I'm wondering if the HTC one will work with our phone, the one used on the Flyer and Jetstream.
That would be awesome. Even more if we could get the app that lets us pen notes while recording and then link them to our calender, like with the tablets.
A student's perfect tool

Pebble Apps Wanted

Thought I would start a thread for Apps Wanted, hoping some enterprising devs might see the list and pick some to try. Here is what I am thinking:
- Respond with App Name in the subject to this post
- Provide as much detail as possible here to provide a baseline of what you are looking for
- Add info such as any help you may be able to provide, or if you are willing to offer up cash or other incentives
- When/if there is an app to test you can provide a link
I will make sure to provide a list here of all of app requests so that we have an index file for reference:
- Pebble Smart Start: An app that will allow the user to start their vehicle remotely
- Pebble GeoCache: An app that provides simple geo-cache readout on the Pebble (Lat/Lon)

Reserved
Reserved

GPS for Geocache
Love the apps that are already there for navigation and sports links, but would love a basic GPS readout app that shows the following data:
Latitude
Longitude
Altitude
Heading
Bearing

How about Google Glass App?

Not really a coder myself, but there was a Dailer app, which allowed users to search and call contacts by using T9 typing (with the 3 buttons on the right). I wonder if this would be possible with sending sms and typing with T9( we know Glance allows pre-set messages = so sending messages is possible)
Just a little something i wish was out there.

AndroidKills said:
Not really a coder myself, but there was a Dailer app, which allowed users to search and call contacts by using T9 typing (with the 3 buttons on the right). I wonder if this would be possible with sending sms and typing with T9( we know Glance allows pre-set messages = so sending messages is possible)
Just a little something i wish was out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
..or maybe it would just let you pick a top 5 or top 10 numbers to dial? then should be easier to scroll the list and pick the one you want to call

You could check my app - A countdown timer. Also, if anyone knows coding and wants to help me, PM me as i dont have a pebble
Link to the App- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2394856

A great app would be to be able to have your pebble turn off at scheduled times. May be harder to get it to turn on but at least this would save battery.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4

PebbleTracks
I'd love to have an Android/watchapp application which:
Can start/pause/stop MyTracks recording
Shows current time (in "status bar", top of the screen, small), current speed (big), travelled distance (like bike computer)
if possible, shows google maps map on the watch (just a nice-to-have thought)
if possible, longpress up/down could fire watchapp (PebbleDialer)
I'm a software engineer, who never developed for Android or Pebble, but i can contribute any work i can handle .

An app can be able to notify my friends' birthday!:thumbup:
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

I'd like to see an app that would link to my Feedly. I've seen PebbleRSS, but doesn't link to Feedly.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4

Pedometer App
I would like a pedometer app or some type of "Fitness" tracker etc

I would like a sleep tracker...
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4

Geek4IT said:
An app can be able to notify my friends' birthday!:thumbup:
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a few ideas for how you can do this...
1. Canvas app - create a calendar on google calendars with just their birthdays. On Canvas, create a watch face with a field that pulls data from a calendar and configure it to only pull from the birthday calendar.
2. Tasker and pebble notifier - with pebble notifier, you can send tasker notifications to your watch. With tasker, you can program it to notify you on certain days which are your friends' birthdays.
Thoughts?

pbrauer said:
Thought I would start a thread for Apps Wanted, hoping some enterprising devs might see the list and pick some to try. Here is what I am thinking:
- Respond with App Name in the subject to this post
- Provide as much detail as possible here to provide a baseline of what you are looking for
- Add info such as any help you may be able to provide, or if you are willing to offer up cash or other incentives
- When/if there is an app to test you can provide a link
I will make sure to provide a list here of all of app requests so that we have an index file for reference:
- Pebble Smart Start: An app that will allow the user to start their vehicle remotely
- Pebble GeoCache: An app that provides simple geo-cache readout on the Pebble (Lat/Lon)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe this app fulfils your need, it displays simple Lat and Long of your current location:
http://www.mypebblefaces.com/?pebbl...y=pebble_dateAdded_desc&query=gps+coords#5968
Found it on mypebblefaces as usual

Oi! Where's your phone?
Having lost phones in the past an app to vibrate the pebble if the BT connection drops for longer than a minute (maybe the duration could be configurable) would be useful.
Would probably need alarm style snooze and dismiss options so you could snooze it if you're out of range momentarily and dismiss it until the next reconnect if your phone battery has died or similar.
Something like this was the first thing I thought of when I saw the pebble so I was surprised to not find one already, I've seen a few phone apps doing the reverse and bleeping the phone when out of range but that doesn't help me realise my phone is missing it just annoys the thief into turning off the phone.
I'm not a coder beyond 10 print hello 20 goto 10 but if anyone else thinks something like this would be useful I'd happily beta test.
Thanks

obzbdc said:
Having lost phones in the past an app to vibrate the pebble if the BT connection drops for longer than a minute (maybe the duration could be configurable) would be useful.
Would probably need alarm style snooze and dismiss options so you could snooze it if you're out of range momentarily and dismiss it until the next reconnect if your phone battery has died or similar.
Something like this was the first thing I thought of when I saw the pebble so I was surprised to not find one already, I've seen a few phone apps doing the reverse and bleeping the phone when out of range but that doesn't help me realise my phone is missing it just annoys the thief into turning off the phone.
I'm not a coder beyond 10 print hello 20 goto 10 but if anyone else thinks something like this would be useful I'd happily beta test.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

justjayhere said:
I would like a pedometer app or some type of "Fitness" tracker etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Sent from my LG-D801

I'd like a better stopwatch/alarm app.. Also a contact app that works better than the current one with the 3 button interface. I'd like to scroll by groups of letters, like top button is a to k, middle is l to s etc.. And then scroll through those letters.
I know this is a long shot, but having a torque plugin would be cool to show 2 or 3 preset dials like engine temp and maf values cause when I'm working on my Audi I like to monitor certain things but don't want to get my phone all greasy.
Sent from my HSG1279 using Tapatalk 2

obzbdc said:
Having lost phones in the past an app to vibrate the pebble if the BT connection drops for longer than a minute (maybe the duration could be configurable) would be useful.
Would probably need alarm style snooze and dismiss options so you could snooze it if you're out of range momentarily and dismiss it until the next reconnect if your phone battery has died or similar.
Something like this was the first thing I thought of when I saw the pebble so I was surprised to not find one already, I've seen a few phone apps doing the reverse and bleeping the phone when out of range but that doesn't help me realise my phone is missing it just annoys the thief into turning off the phone.
I'm not a coder beyond 10 print hello 20 goto 10 but if anyone else thinks something like this would be useful I'd happily beta test.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this exactly. I got my pebble a few days ago and I've been looking for something like this. There are already apps to ring the phone from the watch and even a notification on your phone if your watch gets disconnected but I would very much like the watch to vibrate if it gets disconnected instead of the phone

[Q] Galaxy S5 vs Iphone 5s thoughts.

Hi,
I have been an IOS user for quite a while, with brief excursions into Android land usually without much success. I am trying hard this time because I actually prefer a lot of things about Android (specifically the S5) ... less restrictive, removable battery, storage etc..
However some of the things I really struggle with and wonder if anybody has any answers before are listed below !
Lock screen preview of mail and txt's , I have downloaded an app called NILS but it seems to be such a hack and is not very seamless, anybody else have a better suggestions?
Bluetooth, when I get in my car , the phone starts playing the last thing i was listening to , that's fine & is similar to the iPhone, however the iPhone knows the difference between a call and music and if I turn the car off and get out , it switches off the music (but does not hang up calls). The S5 just carries on playing whatever i was listening to. I cannot find any way of changing this behaviour (any ideas ?).
Quick access to search, with the iPhone you swipe from the top and type the first couple of letters of an app to run it , sometimes this is really useful. The closest i have found is to go into the pull down notification bar and click sfinder... yeuch , any better ideas?
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Do not disturb mode, (blocking) , well its crap on the S5 compared to the Iphone. None of the functionality that i am used to such as letting repeated calls through and setting specific schedules is available. I have downloaded an app called do not disturb which does most of this stuff but i am sure this is also contributing to lag and memory usage. Also annoyingly it does not return the phone to the state it was in before it activated do not disturb. What do i mean by this ? I am the kind of person that has my phone on silent 99% of the time with vibrate, when do not disturb is active i want all vibrations and screen alters disabled (it does this) , but when coming out of do not disturb it switches the phone to full sounds on.
I am trying not to be down, there is a lot to like with this phone and if I could resolve some of the above I would be much happier with it.
Hope to hear some of your suggestions.

Acdisplay for lockscreen. Used it on on RAZR Maxx but not yet on my s5
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app

zero66 said:
Acdisplay for lockscreen. Used it on on RAZR Maxx but not yet on my s5
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I will try that.

Download Apex launcher or any other launchers for lag problem, put in mind that Android uses more ram and cpu processing than IOS, that's why they keep on increasing ram, also turn off as much bloatware (apps came with phone) as possible, another very useful tip is to turn of your phone every day for few mins like your computer this will clear ram.
Welcome to the future

Don't use task killers. They don't help. Android will automatically kill off apps when it needs to. Task killers will kill off apps that will be autostarted again and this becomes a loop leading to lag and battery drain.

Hellscythe said:
Don't use task killers. They don't help. Android will automatically kill off apps when it needs to. Task killers will kill off apps that will be autostarted again and this becomes a loop leading to lag and battery drain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh thanks for this , I will try that.

Lockscreen preview of text and mails is already in touchwiz you just have to switch it on so it will show you the preview via settings.
For quick access to applications long press on the home button will bring you google now and from there you can open your apps easily.

noideaforusername said:
Lockscreen preview of text and mails is already in touchwiz you just have to switch it on so it will show you the preview via settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes for the messaging app, however I use a third party app for email, (nine), this does not seem to support this. Anyway my use case is that when my phone is lying on the desk and mails / sms etc come in , I would like it to wake up briefly and display a preview so that I can decide to ignore it or continue on with whatever it is that i was doing. NILs does this quite well, but seems like a bit of a hack.
noideaforusername said:
For quick access to applications long press on the home button will bring you google now and from there you can open your apps easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This works fairly well.

mah123 said:
Hi,
I have been an IOS user for quite a while, with brief excursions into Android land usually without much success. I am trying hard this time because I actually prefer a lot of things about Android (specifically the S5) ... less restrictive, removable battery, storage etc..
However some of the things I really struggle with and wonder if anybody has any answers before are listed below !
Lock screen preview of mail and txt's , I have downloaded an app called NILS but it seems to be such a hack and is not very seamless, anybody else have a better suggestions?
Bluetooth, when I get in my car , the phone starts playing the last thing i was listening to , that's fine & is similar to the iPhone, however the iPhone knows the difference between a call and music and if I turn the car off and get out , it switches off the music (but does not hang up calls). The S5 just carries on playing whatever i was listening to. I cannot find any way of changing this behaviour (any ideas ?).
Quick access to search, with the iPhone you swipe from the top and type the first couple of letters of an app to run it , sometimes this is really useful. The closest i have found is to go into the pull down notification bar and click sfinder... yeuch , any better ideas?
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Do not disturb mode, (blocking) , well its crap on the S5 compared to the Iphone. None of the functionality that i am used to such as letting repeated calls through and setting specific schedules is available. I have downloaded an app called do not disturb which does most of this stuff but i am sure this is also contributing to lag and memory usage. Also annoyingly it does not return the phone to the state it was in before it activated do not disturb. What do i mean by this ? I am the kind of person that has my phone on silent 99% of the time with vibrate, when do not disturb is active i want all vibrations and screen alters disabled (it does this) , but when coming out of do not disturb it switches the phone to full sounds on.
I am trying not to be down, there is a lot to like with this phone and if I could resolve some of the above I would be much happier with it.
Hope to hear some of your suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

thegrants82 said:
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely disagree. I love my S5 and the HW integration.
But each to their own.

mah123 said:
Yes for the messaging app, however I use a third party app for email, (nine), this does not seem to support this. Anyway my use case is that when my phone is lying on the desk and mails / sms etc come in , I would like it to wake up briefly and display a preview so that I can decide to ignore it or continue on with whatever it is that i was doing. NILs does this quite well, but seems like a bit of a hack.
This works fairly well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install Push Bullet and be amazed. It mirrors any notifications on your phone onto your PC via chrome. That way you don't been to look at the phone. I work at a desk all day and can leave the phone where ever and always know if I have an SMS, call, email or anything else. Don't forget Google now also works with Chrome.

thegrants82 said:
Personally if it were me I would try another company. I have a 5s and tried the s5. The s5 is just not a good example of what android is. Hardware to software the s5 is not done very well at all. Good luck with your choice.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree a bit with your response. And that's why I am also checking out the Xperia Z1 Compact. Once you go from the Galaxy S5 to the Z1C you will notice a huge difference in speed for opening and closing apps. I am even using Nova launcher, google calendar and avoiding any TouchWiz apps, but still the lag is disappointing.

mah123 said:
Memory and CPU usage, the phone gets quite laggy and I cannot find a specific reason ... other than having to installs NILS and the call blocking app (see below). I have installed task killer now , not sure if this is the correct approach.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For lags, you should try to put off the opening of S voice with the home button, because when you press it, it wait for second press for opening s voice app... or not. My S5 is really smooth now, hope this gonna help you.

HitMile said:
For lags, you should try to put off the opening of S voice with the home button, because when you press it, it wait for second press for opening s voice app... or not. My S5 is really smooth now, hope this gonna help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this , yes I did this , made a difference.

@mah123 First step, do whatever you can to separate yourself from Apple products, for good this time. Just messin, but I'll continue on:
I see that you have a lot of little details you don't like about the S5/Android. Luckily, you're on the Android platform, where you can tweak just about anything you want. For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store. It's $3.49 but if you don't want to pay that just download the apk from Google search. Just make sure to get it from XDA or one of the apk blogs. With Tasker you can fix your bluetooth issue by detecting when bluetooth is detected and then use command pause music. Tasker should help you fix all your other issues as well. For email the easiest fix is to use a special color on your notification LED or specific vibrate pattern to know when you have email. You can also show an overlay using a "scene" (Tasker's definition of a popup or app window) on top of the lockscreen. Handy :thumbup: But if you need help using Tasker you can do a lot of things: there are plenty of guides all over the Internet, you can google search your problem with the word "tasker" at the end, you can PM me (yes, I'm friendly), you can ask a question over at the Tasker Noob thread here on XDA (I also monitor this thread and I will answer your questions there). Welcome to Android and have fun!
--
Say thanks if I was of help!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using XDA Free mobile app

aarongillion63 said:
@mah123 First step, do whatever you can to separate yourself from Apple products, for good this time. Just messin, but I'll continue on:
I see that you have a lot of little details you don't like about the S5/Android. Luckily, you're on the Android platform, where you can tweak just about anything you want. For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
Fantastic thanks !

I own both phones. In the last few years I have owned the latest Samsung and Apple flagships (iPhone 4 and Galaxy S2, iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4, and iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5).
Both platforms are great and they have their cons and pros.
I am an iOS Developer. I have my name in both Cydia tweaks and App Store. To be honest I felt in love with iOS when I used it for the first time. I like Android, but not as much as iOS yet.
I find the quality of iOS blows Android out of the water. Third app quality is much better on iOS than on Android, based on what I have seen. In terms of software in general, I think iOS is much better. It may be restrictive, but nothing that can't be beaten with jailbreak. Android's big plus is freedom and yes, I like customizing my phone.
In terms of hardware Samsung blows Apple out of the water. I love the camera and that it is Water Resistant. Design wise the iPhone looks prettier, but personally I don't care about those aesthetics.
The one thing I absolutely hate about most Android phones are the hardware buttons. When I type in landscape I keep hitting the sensitive buttons accidentally, many times this result in losing a wall of text I just typed (my palm hits the back button accidentally all the time). I wish these could be disabled when typing or that they could be replaced with software buttons.
Sent from my SM-G900H using XDA Free mobile app

There are many things that iOS does 'better' than android, or at least, its a mix of what people of become accustomed too and some are just better. So, when people do make the switch to android, or indeed WP etc, it can be an uphill struggle as those things that are 'better' are maybe less intuitive over on the android side.
However, you have to look at the bigger picture. Android is far far more customisable, even as stock. With the addition of TouchWiz and Sense etc, they bring a lot of features that in themselves are 'better' than iOS.
There are many people that go the other way (Android to iOS) and struggle with some of its inability to control and customise.
What I'm saying is.... give it time, and do not judge android on its lacking in one or two areas, try and look at it from a bigger perspective.
**When I say 'better'... I mean its what each individual sees as better, I'm not saying that it is**

aarongillion63 said:
For what you're interested in you'll want to have a look at Tasker, the mighty automation app from Play Store. It's $3.49 but if you don't want to pay that just download the apk from Google search. [ / QUOTE ]
Tasker is an excellent program. It should be paid for and not stolen.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

This is a very good discussion. I find that generally programmers favor Android because of it's similar OS structure to a PC (I'm talking about the coding behind it all and C/Java), and common consumers and Apple computer owners favor iOS. This is a generalization and personal opinion. I know there is the outlier of Apple programmers, I've tried to get into it myself, but my problem I've ran into is that Objective C is overly complicated, just to accomplish simple things. Anyway, even if you don't develop apps, you may favor Android as a coder thanks to Tasker. I've found myself addicted to Tasker as far as tweaking/programming goes, without the need to use Android SDK. Then, you can still export Tasker projects to apks if you want. Tasker can make a good visual-sdk app creation tool.
iresq said:
Tasker is an excellent program. It should be paid for and not stolen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. :thumbup:
Sent from my HTCONE using XDA Free mobile app

Looking for something like "Gentle Alarm"

Hello there,
I'm coming from Android, 'cause my S4 died and my parents gifted to me a Nokia 830 :silly:
I'm looking for an Alarm software which should be at most like Gentle Alarm, which as main feature have the chance to play music at random, so every day you'll get a different mp3. I've searched a bit, but I didn't find anything on the store, so maybe asking is faster and save me from install 20 different alarm software.
Thnx

The first app in the Store search for "alarm random" is called "Realarm" and has excellent reviews. It allows random choice from a user-selected list. Sadly, it also has the following disclaimer: "Please note that unfortunately Windows Phone currently does not allow apps to use user's songs as alarm sounds". http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/realarm/26cad058-fc9a-4967-95f0-4e83c09de99e
That could be worked around with some hacks, but unless somebody writes an app with those hacks, you're possibly out of luck until WP10.